Why does the "A" button go inactive when I highlight more than one name to start a group chat?

Question

I can't consistently start a group chat!  Help!  Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.

Answer 1

Hi,
AIM, Jabber, MSN (Windows Live), and Yahoo are the major IM services.
AIM, MSN and Yahoo operate through their own Central server where you have to Login with a Name that is valid with that server.
Jabber is a collection of Public and private servers which then are linked together via what is called Federation.
AIM issue (or allow you to register) names directly and through several agreements with ISP and other services.
Apple has one of these Agreements and Names Ending in @Mac.com and the MobileMe @Me.com names are Valid AIM Screen Names.
AIM Names themselves tend to be just plain names where as others are or look like emails.
Anyone of these three Names would be considered to be an "AIM" Buddy list in iChat as it logs in to the AIM Server.
Google run the GoogleTalk service to allow Chats through their Web Mail Page.
This is a Jabber server.
Facebook seem to run a similar type of service.
People and organisations that run Jabber servers can elect to run what are called Transports as well.
These allow links to the other major services.
An AIM transport would allow them to Add AIM buddies to their List and so on.
iChat can also log in to Jabber servers including the GoogleTalk one
The AIM App for PCs which is up to version 7.2.something can also allow people to Add their Facebook and Google Buddies  (sort of Reverse Transport if you like).
I haven't downloaded the latest AIM for Mac version to see if it does the same.
The short answer then is that all the major players are beginning to allow the adding of Buddies from other services.
This is further complicated or involved, in that the major Social sites are also allowing people to link various Buddy lists in to one overall list.
This tend to mean that if you link Facebook with Google Buddies and AIM Buddies there appears to be some sort of "Feedback" that allows those names to then appear in your AIM Buddy list.
It does seem to somewhat fall down when you try and do Group Chats due to the different ways the major services conduct these chats.
8:14 PM      Thursday; July 7, 2011
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